


Seperation Anxiety

by IncurablePeppermint



Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: Action, Canon Divergent, Canon Typical Violence, Carol (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes) - Freeform, Enid (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes) - Freeform, Fink (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes) - Freeform, Gen, Glorbs, Guilt, K.O.'s head, Mild Trauma, Plotting, Professor Venomous (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes) - Freeform - Freeform, Radicles (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes) - Freeform, Sneaking, T.K.O.'s House
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2019-11-15 05:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18067169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncurablePeppermint/pseuds/IncurablePeppermint
Summary: T.K.O. is tired of living inside of K.O.'s brainspace and no amount of well meant cheebo surprises or punching bags will fix this issue.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally made for something on dreamwidth that had a word limit, posting here now so I can work on chapters~

T.K.O. chews mindlessly on yet another forkful of spaghetti and messes with his cell phone. Social Media isn’t _ that _ great and getting his paws on this beeping little brick hasn’t made him happier. It’s mostly cheery people doing cheery things. Heroes doing community service, going on dates, and showing off hobbies in between selfies. Villainous accounts are up, but they’re rarely used. Location pinging, photo sleuthing, a virtual paper trail. Makes it to easier to catch up with them. Well, the Boxmore bots at least have accounts, since everyone knows where they live anyway.

But other villains  _ have _ accounts. Throw away accounts, mostly, but sometimes more permanent accounts where they keep an anonymous identity. They aren’t afraid to Private Message, at least. He finishes off his bowl of pasta and unceremoniously tosses it over his shoulder, letting it shatter on the floor. The pieces instantly reform into a clean bowl and the sauce wipes itself up. K.O. took it upon himself to child-proof the place. The only place T.K.O. is allowed to be. Solitary.

So K.O. means well. Big dang whoop. T.K.O. makes a fart noise with his mouth and moves to his messages. A photo of a weapon. The tank is filled with a pink liquid and a single glorb. Under the photo sits a message T.K.O. read hours ago.  _ We’re busting you out _ . He zooms in on the photo. He doesn’t know what to make of the contraption, but he also doesn’t care. He wants out. He doesn’t care how he gets out.

But can a single glorb really get him out? Well, can isn’t the question.  _ Will _ it? The same creeps tricked K.O. into making him. Or, making him aware that he exists. Whatever. The point is, they’re creeps and they might just be messing with T.K.O. to mess with K.O. or the plaza or heroes in general. But who cares anymore? K.O. will never have the tech necessary to yank T.K.O. out of his system. That kind of research doesn’t happen under the watch of heroes.

It’s not a good bet he’s placing, but he’s at least aware of that. He holds his phone out and takes a selfie with a thumb up and sends it privately to “GreenieMeanie” before closing the Social Media app and putting his phone to sleep. He sighs. And if it doesn’t work, then he’ll be caught red handed.

T.K.O. pulls down the screen letting him look out of K.O.’s eyes. He’s explaining some nonsense POW card sorting technique to Rad, who is not listening. Idiot doesn’t even notice. T.K.O. knocks on the screen and the picture jostles.

“Oh! Sorry Rad, I’ll have to finish talking to you later. T.K.O. is calling me. He probably ran out of hot cheebos again.”

Rad nods politely, still not paying attention. “Super neat, little buddy.”

K.O. walks off to the stockroom, feet padding audibly against the tiles the whole way. The view darkens and a meditative hum takes over the audio signal. K.O. pops into existence in the living room, landing on a bean bag.

“Hey! Need something? Or maybe you want to play videos game again? Ooh! Or maybe..” He pauses to think for a moment and a board game pops into his hands. It looks boring. “One of the kids in school brought this in to play! It's called  _ badminton  _ the game and-”

“No! Ugh.”

“Sorry. What is it you called me in for?”

K.O. sits up straight on the beanbag instead of lounging like anyone else would. He’s focused on being attentive instead of on being comfortable. T.K.O holds in a groan.

“I want to go to the arcade.”

“Of course! I can do that!” K.O. starts to focus again and T.K.O. leans against the doorframe between his kitchen and living room.

“I mean the real arcade, K.O. No offense but your simulated  _ people _ are really bad at everything. I want to challenge a  _ real _ person at  _ real _ H. Elodie.”

K.O. looks a little uncomfortable at this point. Of course he does. Just hand over the reigns to your whole body. Didn't it go great last time? Plaza destruction? Never heard of it.

“Alright. But you have to be nice, okay?”

“Really?” T.K.O. perks up despite himself. He was really only aiming for a combined K.O. trip to the arcade to get the wheels rolling. K.O. smiles and good-naturedly laughs. T.K.O. closes himself off once more, crossing his arms. “It’s about time you let me pilot again. You just use our body to  _ fart _ .”

“I do not,” K.O. calls back, playfully defensive.

“Whatever. Just get out of here until I can go play, okay?”

“Alright... And you’re sure you don’t need anything in here?”

“I’m fine.”

K.O. nods and then taps his chin. “It’s a teacher’s day Thursday, so you’d have the whole day to play... Is that okay?”

“Fine,” he responds, testier than he intends to.

K.O. rubs an arm nervously and then closes his eyes. “Alright, I’ll visit again soon.”  After a moment’s focus he disappears. A bag of hot cheebos replaces him on the bean bag. 

T.K.O. pulls out his phone again and sends another message.  _ Thursday arcade _ . He doesn’t feel like elaborating any further and he knows they’ll figure it out. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the arcade ends in a bad break up

T.K.O. runs his hand along the textured rubber of the fake ray gun in front of him. It feels so  _ real _ . K.O. cannot make real things, no matter how hard he tries. T.K.O. pops a techno into the machine and starts playing, but he doesn’t care so much about the pixelated carnage on the screen right at the moment. The feeling in his hands, under his feet, and in his lungs is much more intoxicating than any beeping machine. Though Boxray Rampage  _ is _ super fun.

“I dunno about this game, T.K.O.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll play other stuff too.”

“Alright.”

The least K.O. could do is get out of his head for a little bit and let him actually enjoy himself. T.K.O. doesn’t bother him every time he does some boring thing. No matter how grating K.O.’s life is to watch T.K.O. has let him have it. Ugh.

“Do you... Hear something?”

“Beeping.”

“No, like... Outside?”

“I dunno, maybe. But it’s  _ my _ day.”

“But...”

“What, you wanna take over already?”

“No! I-.... Hmm.”

The game over screen flashes and a tiny Mr. Gar laughs at T.K.O.’s failure. He punches the machine, careful not to damage it. Just so K.O. won’t get mad and take over. T.K.O. moves on to a more family friendly game. Miss Mummy’s Mystery Mine, sure. It costs more to play, but it’s a really long game. He can waste a lot of time on it while he’s waiting for GreenieMeanie to come to his rescue. He sits down in the fake minecart and tightly grips the front rail. He leans forward to start. Leans side to side to move the cart and pick answers. Nonsense hero trivia T.K.O. only knows because K.O. won’t shut up about it.

The noise outside is drowned out by upbeat adventure music, but T.K.O. still catches a few little metal crunching noises. Boxbots. Useless losers, but they don’t need to win. They just need to keep the Lakewood jerks distracted long enough for his ride to get here. 

“T.K.O.... I think we should check outside after this game.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

How polite, letting T.K.O. finish his game. Even though it’s definitely going to take a bit, since he’s  _ dominating _ . He feels the plastic cushion in the cart. He feels the shedding foam grip on the rail. He leans right to tell the game that Chip Damage has a fake butt. 

The door to the arcade bursts open, literally. The wood splinters out into bits and the door frame cracks apart as Shannon pushes a big machine through, Fink riding on top. Tank treads sit at the bottom of the weapon T.K.O. was texted earlier. It’s already lighting up, the glorb shines in the pink liquid. Fink and Shannon laugh loudly and out of sync. 

“Alright _ Lakewood Loser _ , are you ready?” Shannon turns the weapon, aiming it at T.K.O.

K.O. freaks out and starts getting things ready for a sync up. “Oh no. If they got in here then Enid and Rad must be in trouble! We need to get out there and help!”

T.K.O. closes his eyes in real life and turns to K.O. in his head. He makes a leap for the extra suit, just to keep K.O. away from it. K.O. looks at him, confused and angry. 

“We don’t have time for this! I’ll let you have another day! I’ll let you have all my recesses! We need to go!”

“We need to stay right here!” T.K.O. growls.   
Realization slowly comes over K.O.’s face. “Did you know about this? How did you know about this?” He materializes T.K.O.’s phone and starts trying to go through it.

“That’s mine, back off!” T.K.O. growls, “You don’t let me have anything!”

There’s a snap in the mindscape. Both boys stumble and K.O. drops the phone. It disappears into a white void that has suddenly formed in the ground, separating them. 

“I’m trying to let you have things! You’re not giving me a chance to figure this out! I don’t know what to do with a person in my head!”

The gap between them widens. The suits and panels disappear. They float up. There is an ever-present crackling noise. “There’s no way for me to be happy in here!”

The white void widens more, then there is a sound like a pencil breaking and it isn’t there anymore. K.O. looks up in his head and sees no one. T.K.O puts a hand on his head and vomits into the fake mine cart. Someone else’s problem. K.O.’s problem. His body double is sprawled across the plastic cushion in the cart, temporarily out cold. T.K.O. gives him a smirk before stepping out of the arcade machine.

Shannon looks on in shock and Fink grins wide. “Alright dingus, you’re with us now!”

K.O. shakes his head, then blinks a few times. His ears ring. He is standing in the fake mine cart. He... Got control? Good. He is dangerously close to a puddle of puke. Not good. He carefully steps out and runs for the door, ready to help if need be. 

Enid runs up to him, scratched up a bit but otherwise fine. “K.O.?”

He nods, “Yeah! And I’m ready to fight now!”  
“There’s no-one here to fight. And more importantly... Didn’t you just run after Fink and Shannon? Rad went off to stop-”

On queue, Radicles flies through the air and lands on his butt right behind Enid, crushing a dent in the asphalt.

“I think maybe... We should get Mr. Gar?” K.O. says, staring off towards Boxmore. It was too hopeful to think he’d just taken control. Whatever T.K.O. was up to, it worked. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> K.O. heads to his first shift at the Bodega after the arcade incident.

K.O. sits on the couch in his living room and tries to meditate. He sits with his legs crossed, his eyes closed, and a finger pressed against each thumb. The smell of garlic and tomatoes fills the air. He can hear spoons clanking against pots in the kitchen. He can hear whispers but he can’t make out the words. He can’t get into his own head.

With a sigh he gives it up. He sprawls out on the couch. T.K.O. isn’t inhabiting his head anymore, no matter how much K.O. wants him to be. T.K.O.’s  _ house _ isn’t even in there anymore. K.O. isn’t sure why he was trying. He knows T.K.O. ran off to Boxmore. But what if it wasn’t him? What if it was a fake? What if T.K.O. didn’t do this to him?

“Alright my little angel, time for your favorite! Breakfast spaghetti!”

Carol comes in carrying two heaping plates of pasta and sets one down in front of K.O. Mr. Gar walks in after, already eating his own plate. K.O. stirs the noodles with his fork, but doesn’t take any bites. He feels... Lonely. And guilty. 

Carol pets his head, “Peanut, come on. I know you feel bad right now, but you still gotta eat.” 

K.O. moves his head up into his mom’s comforting hand, then sighs and sucks a single noodle up into his mouth. “I know mommy. I just don’t understand.” He finishes slurping the noodle in, the end of it splashes sauce around his lips. He wipes it on his arm. “I thought T.K.O. was doing better in there. I thought he was my friend.”

Carol hands him a napkin. She takes a moment to think of her response. “Well, Sweetie. Sometimes even if someone is your friend, they need some space.” She taps her fork against the plate a few times. “And maybe T.K.O. will come back and you can talk it out.”

K.O. thinks hard about it. “Like... How Combo Breaker is my friend, but I don’t want him to be around a lot.”

Gar chokes a little on his spaghetti. He lifts a fist up to his mouth to cover his minor coughing fit. “Maybe- Maybe so... Kiddo.” He sets down his plate and then breathes in to calm himself down.

Carol gives Mr. Gar an approving nod for his attempt at being a supportive father figure. “Yeah. And if you and T.K.O. can’t figure this out on your own, your Momma is right here ready to help you.”

K.O. smiles and gives Carol a tight hug. An alarm on his laptop goes off, causing the device to bounce up and down on the table he’s set it on. “Oh! I should go help Rad and Enid at Mr. Gar’s!” Quite suddenly full of energy with this distraction in mind, he plants a smooch on his mother’s cheek, quickly downs his early morning pasta plate, and waves goodbye to Mr. Gar before running along on his way.

K.O. is pretty sure he hears Mr. Gar say something about not having to work if he doesn’t feel like it, but he definitely feels like it. There’s nothing like sweeping up crushed nacho chips and wiping down soda-coated display pieces to keep a boy occupied. And right now he wants nothing more than to be occupied. 

He just hopes that if he waits a little while a grown up will come up with a good solution for his problem. That mommy will convince T.K.O. to live with them in exchange for eye-liner tips and sole ownership of the top bunk of a brand new bunk bed. That Mr. Gar will infiltrate Boxmore in a secret mission and come back with T.K.O. throwing a fit while thrown over his shoulder.  _ That T.K.O. isn’t as powerful when seperated. _ He stops in his tracks just a few feet from the Bodega’s front door, then shakes his head. He doesn’t want to think about that right now. He heads on inside.

Enid sits behind the counter, almost like usual. She has her phone out and is pretty obviously just scrolling through Social Media, but despite having her feet up on the counter it’s clear she is anything but relaxed. Her eyes keep wandering over to Boxmore. K.O. feels guilty. He could’ve done more to keep T.K.O. happy in his head and he didn’t. Enid remembers being chased down. Enid remembers the damage to the plaza. K.O. remembers watching it happen, helpless. He wonders if that’s how T.K.O. felt all the time, despite the beanbags and cheebos.

“Hi Enid!” he calls up to her, forcing a cheery tone and happy smile. “I’m gonna see if Rad needs help re-stocking the healthy hearty gummy wummies. Those are on sale this Tuesday, right?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead.” Enid taps on her phone. Enid looks over at Boxmore.

K.O. hurries on into the back of the store. Radicles has stacked some of the excess stock up into a fort, which he promptly knocks over with a dramatic yelp as K.O. opens the door. “Oh! K.O.! It’s just you. I mean, uh. Of course I knew it was you.” He leans casually against the wall with his arms crossed and uses a single finger beam to start stacking the boxes again. “Check it out little man, I’m making a clubhouse.” 

K.O. nods. He runs over and ducks into the fort as it’s rebuilt. He tries not to think about how it’s probably a place for the Bodega-men to hide if T.K.O. attacks and not a neat-o club house. “Wow! And there’s snacks built in!”

“I know, right? Aren’t I a genius?” 

“You really are, Rad! Oh! But I came to ask if you needed help restocking the gummy wummies.”

“Gummy wummies...? Oh farts, those are on sale in like... Two days!” Rad abandons his project and lifts several boxes up and towards the door. “K.O. go clear the shelf!” K.O. gives a dutiful salute and scurries ahead of Rad. He has to grab a step-stool to reach the right shelves, but manages to get everything in order in time for Rad to drop all the needed boxes on the ground. “Good work little buddy! Can you ready the display table too?”

“Rad, you can’t make K.O. do all your work for you,” Enid calls from the cash register. Dogman stands in front of her, uselessly trying to get her attention so that he can buy a squeaky toy. She keeps shifting her hands so that her cell phone blocks his face.

“No! I wanna help, I’ll go get the table!”

K.O. hurries back to the storage room and gets the big, double decker folded table. He struggles a bit with it. It’s unwieldy and while more compact folded up, it’s a strange shape that’s hard to maneuver through doors. Especially if you’re a regular six to eleven year old boy and not a big blue alien from Planet-X with a super useful levitation beam. He eventually gets the table set out in the display area, but by then has bruised his arm pretty badly by pinching it between the table and the store-room door. He doesn’t complain about it. Radicles would have had this done already if he wasn’t worried about T.K.O. He wouldn’t have to worry about T.K.O. if K.O. had been a better hero.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TKO isn't adjusting well to his new living situation.

Fink rummages through her toybox, tossing yo-yos and ray guns alike out behind her. "Alright, dingus. Boss said I hafta share my toys, and since you're not as much of a loser as those idiot robots, I'm sharin' with _you_ instead."

"Woo-hoo," TKO deadpans, arms crossed. He isn't sure how much he enjoys being a guest in the Venomous-Boxman household yet. Mostly because they haven't done any of the cool things he thought they would. No stealing or threatening or real fighting. Just a lot of medical testing on TKO to make sure he's "stable" and some nonsense family bonding he's now a part of. For some reason.

He doesn't really fit in. Not yet, at least. He's a little too biting with his retorts for everyone but Fink and Boxman. He got in trouble for making Raymond cry. He growls in frustration. These guys are supposed to be villians! What do they care if he bullies their stupid robot hench-teens?

And he goes at everything too hard for them. He gnaws when they spar. He throws his empty dishes. He breaks their punching bags. He stole Darrel's cowboy boots. He broke one of Shannon's compacts. He's starting to wonder why they brought him here. He knew they probably had an ulterior motive when he went into this, but he figured it was just to make him punch something. Now he's thinking maybe it was something... Stupid.

"Think fast, dumb-butt!"

TKO flinches before he's knocked over by a punch from a boxing-glove that shot out of a gun. It hit too hard to be a toy, but not enough to really hurt. He was just caught off guard. He growls, then gives Fink a deadly glare. She just smirks and chuckles in response. Infuriating.

His feet glow with a deep purple for just a moment before he launches himself into her, tackling her against the wall. " _You_ think fast, sewer-rat," he declares with a devilish grin.

Fink pushes him off of her, then puts an arm around her gut. "What the heck, TKO?! I was just trying to play! That hurt." She shakes off the pain, then scurries away, leaving him alone in the playroom. He sits against the wall and pouts. If she wasn't so rude then he wouldn't have hurt her. But... He _was_ too rough.

He could just be a solo villain. Then he could just do what he wants and not worry about hurting anyone's feelings. Or their bodies. He'd have to teach himself to make spaghetti and wash clothes and pay an electric bill. He could do that, right? It would be super annoying though.

Cob, why does everything have to be so dang annoying? It sucked being in KO's head and it sucks being here. He sniffles, but he forces himself not to cry. He's just frustrated. It's not like he's _lonely_ or anything.

"Uh, TKO?"

He shoots his gaze over to the doorway, instantly changing it from forlorn to infuriated. Shannon, who was peeking in, fingers wrapped around the door frame, flinches with a little yelp. She takes a second to breathe, then steps in and tries to look authoritative. Unfortunately, TKO can see her sweating. Ugh, why did Boxman make his robots capable of sweating?

"Just spit it out, Shannon."

"Daddy and Daddy Venomous want you in the med-bay."

"More testing? I don't wanna."

"Listen kid, I'm just the messenger. So like, don't shoot me or anything."

Shannon gently moves one of the rayguns behind her with her foot. TKO groans, but stands up. He does a lazy little stretch before stuffing his hands in his pockets and heading towards the now-familiar lab. At least KO's head had beanbags and fuzzy carpets. He's practically been re-trapped, just this time in a big, stupid, metal headquarters.

He blinks at the fluorescent lights when he walks into the bright and shining med-bay. Venomous is sitting, one leg crossed over the other, at an oppressive white and grey desk. He taps a clipboard with a pen. Shaking his head, Professor venomous tsks a few times.

"Your power level is going down," he says flatly, coldly.

"What?" TKO demands, hair bristling up behind him.

"Calm down. I'm not saying you're weak, so don't get _defensive_." His voice is smug. TKO can't make himself attack Venomous, despite his instincts. "You're simply... A parasite. Ripped out of the host." Venomous smiles, baring his sharp teeth.

"Aw, gross! I'm not a tapeworm, you weirdo!"

"No, no. You're so much more than a tapeworm. But you're still parasitic. You can't get any power from KO, so you're draining." He flips a paper on his clipboard back, revealing another one that he starts scribbling on. "That's our theory, at least."

"So, what? You think I should go back into KO's smelly body? I'm not gonna. I'll just get strong another way."

Venomous laughs, and TKO knows that it isn't at him. It's a happy, devious laugh. A spider coming back to a web full of flies laugh. It makes TKO shudder.

"No, child. What a parasite should do to free itself is," he pauses, dramatic. Venomous reveals the paper to TKO, a printout of KO with Xs freshly drawn over his eyes. "Consume the host!"

The theatrics are worth it. TKO stares at him, wide eyed and confused. Sure, he hated being crammed into KO's hollow noggin, but to kill him? That's... A lot. He just wants to punch people and destroy buildings. Does he want to kill anyone? _Can_ he kill someone?

"Too much for you, TKO? I suppose you could go crawling back..."

"Shuddup! I'm no wuss, I'm just thinkin'!"

"Do you like that weakling?"

"No!"

"Don't you want to be strong?"

"Yes!"

"Then what's stopping you?"

"I don't know! Nothing! Shut up!"

"Your power level has been going down since you left his head. If you wait you'll be too weak to finish him off."

TKO screams and punches the wall. It dents impressively, but he feels the blow on his knuckles. He thinks about Mom showing him how to do a cat eye. Calling him Peanut. Driving him to Snot Topic. She'd never talk to him again. She'd hate him. He has to, though, doesn't he? He doesn't know.

He wants his mom.

"Fine! Suit me up with your stupid science weapons."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's attack the plaza

KO wipes the front window of the bodega dutifully. He carefully avoids hitting the various advertisements and posters that have been pasted up over the years, but can’t help but smack the edges every now and then. It’s been about a week since the  _ incident _ . Enid is no longer keeping a careful eye on Boxmore. Instead she listens to her music, eyes closed, one earbud popped out and looped around her ear. She didn’t _tell_ him why, but KO knows that she's doing it so she can listen in case Boxmore attacks. 

Rad has made a certified fort kingdom in the back. The boxes are propped into place with expired Mega Protein Punchie Bars (which are basically bricks, KO saw Glitter Starlight chip a tooth on one before). Rad won’t admit it, but it’s really easy to tell that TKO being on the loose makes him nervous. He’s been super jumpy, especially around KO. He doesn't want to be beaten up by TKO again. Last time he got absolutely pounded. 

KO sighs and sprays a glob of stray lightning cheese down with cleaning fluid. He can’t decide how he messed up, but he knows he did it. He should’ve communicated more with TKO. He should’ve let TKO take control more. He should’ve taken control back when he heard those noises outside the arcade. He should’ve never talked to Shadowy Figure in the first place. He wipes away the bright blue cheese. He should’ve been a better hero. 

He plops down onto the floor. Then lays down, spreading out, still holding his cleaning rag. A deep sigh escapes his lungs. The flourescent lights of the bodega hurt his eyes, but he makes no effort to shield them from the sting. He’s spent a lot of this week overdoing himself, trying his best to make up for what he’s done, trying his best to keep his mind off of TKO. It hasn’t worked. KO can’t keep TKO off of his mind and he can’t help but feel bad. 

“KO, we’ve got a shipment,” Enid calls in a calm but serious tone. “Go get Rad from the back.” KO turns his head just in time to see her tuck her music player away and head outside to take the lead. He starts to push himself off of the ground only to be knocked over by the rumble as the Boxmore box hits the ground. When he shakes that off and gets to his feet, KO sees that the box hasn’t yet opened. It’s just... Sitting there. Waiting.

He hurries to the back room, murmuring a wish for Enid to, “Please be safe,” under his breath. “Rad! We’ve got bots! Hurry,” KO cries out the moment he bursts through the storage room door. He shoots a glance over his shoulder, trying to get a good look at whatever might be happening outside. If anything is happening outside. Radicles pops out from inside a box, perched at the top of his fort kingdom. 

“Oh what? Boxman’s at it again?”

“Yeah! Enid went outside without us!”

“Don’t you worry little buddy, I’ll be right there,” Radicles calls down at him before promptly falling out of the box he was in and down all the other stacked boxes. 

KO hurries towards the front of the bodega, just hoping that Rad manages to make it after he unsticks himself from all the cardboard and Gummie Chews he’s trapped himself in. KO just doesn’t have time to deal with that right now, even if he feels kinda bad about leaving his co-worker prone in the back of the store. When he gets out front he finds that his mommy has met up with Enid to help out, but they’re both still just standing in front of the still unopened Boxmore box. 

“What do you think it’s about?”

“Mr. Gar and I have done a little spying and... We think this attack is meant for my little Peanut.”

“Yeah. S’what I figured too. Don’t worry, though. We’ll make sure he’s safe.”

“Mommy,” KO calls as he pads up behind them, “I’m here!” Almost as soon as he speaks, steam hisses out of the corners of the box in front of them. Enid and his Mommy take a cautious step back to allow for the closest side to them to fall down. Before the steam can fully clear a large purple energy blast shoots out towards KO, who barely manages to dodge by throwing himself onto the sidewalk.

Enid and his Mom yell his name in unison, before leaping in to do a matching fire-kick attack on whatever is in that box. KO looks up and watches as both of them are blocked by the palm of a large metal hand. Connected to that hand is a skeleton of a mech, piloted by TKO who sits protected by a half-sphere of glass. He laughs, snorting with the effort, then throws them off to the side. 

“I’m not here for you dorks! I’m here for him!” TKO points an imposing metal finger at KO and grins wide, baring all of his teeth. “I know how it is, now! Venomous told me everything.”

“H-He’s lying to you, TKO! I don’t know what he said, but he’s a villain! He’s using you!” KO scrambles to his feet. TKO takes a few imposing, asphalt-crunching steps forward. 

“I don’t care if he’s using me! At least when he’s using me I get to be outside! You just want to forget I ever existed!” TKO growls audibly, then ouds one fist on the glass in frustration. “Well no more! Now you’re gonna be the one that gets forgotten! I’m gonna get rid of you! I’m gonna be the real one!” 

KO bites his lip as he tries to power up, unsure of his abilities without TKO as a devious battery. 


End file.
